Texas State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Tomball) could not wait till the ink was dry. The Republican leader of the Texas legislature filed not one, but six different anti-immigrant bills in the first hour of the filing period for the 2011 session. The message is clear and abundant: Texas is about to embark on a war against Latinos.

House Bill 16 would require voters to present photo identification or two forms of non-photo identification before they are allowed to cast ballots. It stops just short of Proposition 200 in Arizona requiring proof of citizenship in order for people to vote, which was recently struck down as unconstitutional by the Ninth Circuit. HB 17 treats the lack of immigration status in the United States as a criminal offense and lays out punishments for the new offense. HB 18 punishes sanctuary city policies. HB 19 penalizes driving on a highway without a Texas drivers license.

Riddle does not stop there. HB 21 aims to track the local and state agency expenditures on undocumented immigrants. A non-partisan study confirmed that undocumented immigrants are a net-benefit to the Texas economy. It is no surprise that the legislation does not account for the benefits and income accrued for the state by undocumented populations. And finally, HB 22 requires school districts to turn into immigration agents and inquire about the immigration status of all K-12 students.

Right-wing perpetuated fear and hatred is taking our country back in time. But maybe Texas, a state that is 37 percent Hispanic and votes mostly for the GOP, needs to wake up to the anti-immigrant tsunami taking over the country. Texans must stand up strongly against these anti-immigrant proposals and give the legislature a piece of their mind.